Gregor Blanco (left) was tagged out by Tyler Flowers trying to score on Joe Panik's groundball. He was then called safe because Flowers impeded his path, a ruling Chicago manager Robin Ventura, below, disputed.

Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

Gregor Blanco (left) was tagged out by Tyler Flowers trying to...

Image 2 of 3

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura, right, argues with umpire Fieldin Culbreth before being ejected for arguing a call on San Francisco Giants' Gregor Blanco, who was originally ruled out at home but then ruled safe after review, during the seventh inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura, right, argues with umpire...

Image 3 of 3

Chicago manager Robin Ventura shows his disgust with the overturned play in the seventh by kicking dirt on home plate.

Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

Chicago manager Robin Ventura shows his disgust with the overturned...

Soon the Giants will discover if one of baseball's oldest cliches contains a grain of truth, that one little break can stop a team from bleeding losses.

The Giants seemed doomed again Wednesday afternoon, perhaps facing another shutout defeat, when they won a replay review and Gregor Blanco was awarded the tying run in the seventh inning because of a rule that probably will be altered over the winter. White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers had blocked the plate before he had the ball.

That paved the way for a seven-run inning, the Giants' largest at AT&T Park since Game 2 of the 2010 World Series, and a 7-1 victory that prevented their third six-game losing streak of the season.

Speaking of losing streaks, Jake Peavy no longer has to. His 12-game skid ended with the best of his four starts as a Giant. He held one of his former teams to an Adam Dunn splash home run in seven innings.

After the Giants tied the game on the Blanco ruling, they got the big hit that seemed as foreign to them as a Kurosawa film, a two-out, two-run Angel Pagan single that gave them their first lead in a week, at 3-1.

"I've said many times, when an offense is struggling you need a break sometimes, a bad hop, a bloop to fall in, anything to loosen them up," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Sometimes it takes something strange."

The play might have been strange, but not unusual. Blanco was the ninth player originally called out at the plate to be ruled safe after the aggrieved team's manager successfully argued that the catcher blocked the plate before he had the ball.

This is part of the new catcher-protection rule meant to benefit the hitter, who must be given a clear path to the plate so he need not tackle the catcher.

Michael Morse and Adam Duvall started the seventh with singles against Jose Quintana. Blanco was pinch-running for Morse when Joe Panik hit a slow roller to first. Jose Abreu charged the ball and threw home. Blanco slid to the outside of the plate and was tagged.

Blanco got up and trotted to the dugout, thinking nothing of it until he heard someone yell, "He was blocking the plate." Bench coach Ron Wotus phoned video review coach Shawon Dunston and got the same opinion, so Bochy used his challenge.

As the umps in New York spent 4 minutes, 55 seconds looking at the play, Blanco ran into the clubhouse to conduct his own video review and saw that Flowers' left leg indeed blocked the entirety of the plate. Blanco was thrilled the official eyes agreed.

"Oh my God," Blanco said. "That was awesome. I was saying to everybody, 'Whatever it takes to win a ballgame.' We won the game, and everybody is happy about it."

White Sox manager Robin Ventura was the opposite of happy. He bolted out of the dugout in a rage because he lost a similar review on Posey the night before. He was quickly ejected.

After Quintana walked Joaquin Arias to load the bases, Pagan flipped a single off reliever Ronald Belisario into short left that gave the Giants a 3-1 lead, his first RBIs since his return from a back injury last week.

The Giants caught a break, and Pagan ran with it. Question is, how far will the Giants run with it?

"We'll be fine," Pagan said. "I think the dog days will end right now."